We Are Never Safe
by WillowElixir
Summary: Ziva and Ari are on the run and wind up in a small town in the Mid West. What will happen if they are found? Tony/Ziva, Jenny/Gibbs, McGee/Abby, Kate/Ari AU
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1- The Introduction

A/N- I had this idea a while ago, but I had a very weird morning so I decided to write it. By the way, this is set in the Midwest in the middle of the 1800s.

Disclaimer- I don't own NCIS or any of the characters.

There are many reasons why one should not go careering into the town of Old Bailey in a caravan. The most prominent is the location. The small town is set in the middle of a wide valley floor, bordered on either side by tall mountains. You would think that it would be fairly easy to get to it, however the next town over (with a railway), ran parallel to it over the mountains to the east, and then the road turned to the north. This created a tight hairpin bend in the road, with perilous rocks either side.

The next was Mrs Mallard, the doctor's mother. She was ailing and bound to her bed, but she did have a tendency to wander and even sleepwalk. So, occasionally, when the dusty path did cough up a few lone travellers, she caused quite a lot of problems for them.

However, the one that many people _did _watch out for was the sheriff. Leroy Jethro Gibbs had been protecting the people for 15 years, ever since he came back from war to find his wife and daughter killed in the crossfire of a bank robbery. He was famous all over for his "death stare" and his unruly way of going about his job. This made him not feared but respected and the people of the small town could feel safe enough to unlock their doors at night.

Old Bailey was a small community of around 100 people, it was founded around 1800, and the locals mainly made their living from agriculture. Around the main street a few small farms and ranches were dotted, and because of the wide valley, there were large pastures either side of the road.

The largest ranch was owned by Mr Tobias Fornell, who was an old friend of the sheriff and who bought it to make money from the trade in the larger town of Fortville to the East.

Of course, the people in the caravan didn't know all of this, apart from the bend that they were soon reaching.

"Ari, slow down," the woman shouted. She had wild brown hair and her eyes were fiery with emotion.

"I can't, you know they might catch us, and if they do, who knows what could happen. Ziva, I can't let you go back to that place. They are up on the ridge, and are closing in on us."

She looked up at the ridge and sure enough, there they were. They had followed them ever since they had left New York and had forced them to buy this caravan from a lady on the side of the road. It was sufficient for their needs, however the horse had been overworked and could not hold up for much longer.

"The horse needs to rest, and so do we. There's a town up ahead, lets stop there and keep a low profile."

Ari nodded. He looked at the tired horse and saw the scars from where the saddle rubbed against its back and the sweat on it's neck.

He pulled on the reins but the animal wouldn't stop. They were getting closer and closer to the bend.

Ziva looked behind her, she could see the bounty hunter at the front of the pack, closing in on them.

"Go faster, they're coming!" she shouted.

All of a sudden, there was a crash, followed by the snapping of the wood as the caravan was destroyed on the rocks. The horse broke free and ran away, up a track into the mountains beyond.

"Oh my! Are you hurt?" Ziva could hear hurried footsteps coming towards her and she opened her eyes to see a face peering down at hers. The lady had black hair in pigtails and her face was stricken with fear.

"I'll get the doctor," she whispered, and hurried off again.

She ran up to Dr Mallard's house and rang the doorbell.

"Doctor, I need your help. There's been a crash in town and I think they're hurt please help…."

"Slow down Abigail. A crash? I must be right there. Thank you for notifying me."

And with that, he strode off down the street in the direction of the bend.

A few minutes later, he had bandaged up Ziva's head and put Ari's arm in a sling.

"Oh, thank you doctor, but we must be on our way…"

"Nonsense, my dear, you need to rest. You can stay in the saloon over there," he pointed.

She looked around. Where were they? Where could they be hiding? They could've taken them just there and then, so why were they sitting here safe and well?

"Ari, do you think we're safe?"

"We are never safe." He could see out of the corner of his eye some men being led into the sheriffs office.

The saloon was bustling when they went in. It was filled with men trying to drink their troubles away with empty hope or to win poker against the reigning champion, Anthony DiNozzo.

"Ha Ha! Pay up McGee."

The other man at the table sighed, put down his hand, and took out his wallet. He knew that there was no point in trying to beat the self-proclaimed "Poker King".

DiNozzo, as well as being good at poker, was the deputy sheriff to the town, serving under Gibbs' glare. He loved his job, full of excitement, but he was beginning to feel lonely in this small town. Everyone knew everyone's business, and it was starting to feel uncomfortable. Still, he couldn't bring himself to leave the small town.

A/N- So, I hope you like it. I'm sorry if Ari is OOC, but I like to think that he would've been a good person if Eli hadn't turned him evil. Please read and review!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2-Asylum

Disclaimer- I don't own NCIS

A/N- I'm sorry that I've been away from here for so long, but I've been so busy. But now I'm at a point where I don't have so many controlled assessments and my next exams are in January, so I can relax a bit more. I have changed some things in this chapter. Anyway, enjoy this chapter!

"You want me to protect you in this town?" Gibbs asked, staring at the foreigners.

"No," replied Ziva curtly "We can protect ourselves."

"It didn't look like that today. You crashed and if it wasn't for this very Sheriffs department then you would have been taken by those men."

"I know, and thank you, but we don't need protection. We merely want to stay here for a while."

Gibbs looked at them incredulously, but sent them on their way. He just hoped that he wouldn't regret this decision later.

Before Ziva could leave her path was blocked by someone she didn't recognise. "Excuse me." she said politely.

He still wouldn't move.

"Excuse me." She said more harshly, glaring at him.

"I'm sorry, do you want me to move," he asked innocently… too innocently.

"Well first allow me to introduce myself, I am Anthony DiNozzo Jnr, and what is your name?"

"None of your business."

"Oh, you're feisty, I like it. Would you like me to walk you to the guesthouse behind the saloon? I know the way." He smirked.

"I'm sure you do," Ziva stated, and continued to vacate the room.

"You win some, you lose some," Gibbs said as he passed him.

"Saddle up, we gotta go and solve a land dispute."

"Ari, where did those bounty hunters go? We didn't see them in the police station."

"I don't know, but they must be close. They'll be waiting to pounce on us like a tiger as soon as they get a chance. We committed the ultimate crime and they want to make us pay."

Their room was small, but with two beds and a view of the street through the window. Suddenly, Ziva lifted the threadbare rug and started looking at the floorboards beneath.

"What are you doing?"

"Looking for a place to hide this." She motioned to a black bag. Ari nodded and joined her.

The saloon was run by Caitlin Todd, who took over from her father when he had retired. Now, she visited his grave everyday, they were very close. She and Abby were very good friends, with both admiring each other's spirit and energy. So, on this day, she chose to pay Abby a visit.

"Abby, are you there?"

"Yes, I'll be there in a minute."

After half an hour of talking about trivial matters, Abby suddenly remembered something.

"Kate, what happened to those people that crashed. I heard they are staying in your guesthouse."

"Yes, they're staying there. I don't know what happened though. I don't really trust them yet. They haven't talked about it, not even Gibbs."

"Really!? Not even Gibbs?"

"No"

McGee, the town's lawyer, looked at the police station and sighed. He would have to go in at some point and try to explain to Gibbs that he'd lost the statements for a witness. Again. He could tell that they were back. He stood there procrastinating until he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Oh, uuumm Miss Abgail, nice to see uumm you again," he stuttered turning to face her.

"Don't be so silly, 'Miss Abigail' sounds so sincere. Call me Abby."

"OK, sorry."

"Its alright, now, what are you doing?"

"I need to go in, I can't find the statements," he said.

"I don't know why you get so nervous around Gibbs, he's so nice. Anyway, if you keep losing all these papers then you need an assistant."

"I don't know, I wouldn't be able to pay very much."

"I understand, I can survive on my inheritance if I want, but I just want to do something. I sit at home day after day, and I feel like my life won't amass to much. Anyway, I would be a good assistant!"

"Alright, can you start now?" She nodded and so they headed off to his office. Gibbs could wait.

"Oh, my! What a mess! Looks like I came just in time," Abby exclaimed as she peered into the dusty room.

"I thought you would be much tidier than this."

"I know, but it was like this when I got here. This was the old police station. I haven't had any time to clean it up, what with all the cases I've had. This town has made me busier than when I was in the city."

Old case files littered the floor, and the floor was so scuffed it was hard to tell what the original colour was. Abby reached and opened the blinds, filling the room with a blinding light.

"I need to go and get some supplies."

In ten minutes she returned, carrying a bucket of soapy water and a scrubbing brush. She set to work, and McGee smiled, knowing that his life was about to get a lot easier.

A/N- So that's the second chapter. I'm sorry for any anachronisms or if any of the characters are OOC. I have tweaked some for purposes of the story. Also, there will be secondary storylines lines in each of the chapters (Abby and McGee) but the main storyline is Ziva, Ari and their past. Please read and review!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N-

So I've finally decided to update. For many months, I haven't been able to publish anything because of problems with my computer, and that with tons of exams and an operation (nothing serious, don't worry), meant that I had no time. Now I can! This chapter will look more into the past, and it will answer some questions. Flashbacks are in italics.

_"I understand, sir, but you know the price."_

_"Let's just say... it got lost in translation," the man stated slowly, motioning to under the desk, where the salesman saw that he was staring down the barrel of a shotgun. "Do you know who I work for?" _

_"Of course."_

_"Well, you must know that, these people have done very bad things. To me, and the people of work for. They are dangerous, and you probably want them off the streets as much as I do." He stood up, kicking the chair away and concealing the shotgun in his jacket. "You know the deal, and the consequences."_

2 Years Earlier

_The majestic ship stood in the harbour, full to the brim with weary passengers who had travelled from the other side of the Atlantic. As the dishevelled people stepped of the boat, their eyes lit up with anticipation at being in the land of oppurtunities. Ari and Ziva came out of the hold. For the next three hours they looked for somewhere to stay. They wandered around, and with only basic English skills they felt extremely lost, little did they know it was worse to be found._

_In the corner of the room, the silence was unbearable for the dying man that lay there. In front of him, a pair of boots walked into view. "What did I tell you about getting involved with my business? I told you it'd be the end of you, and look at you now. Well brother, now you understand." The boots withdrew._

_A shady man, walking awkwardly, arrived at the small desk, and cleared his throat. "Can I help you?" the receptionist slurred. "Yes, I won't be needing that room anymore. It was very...useful to me."_

_"Alrigh', you two can have that room, only got one bed though. I'll send an extra mattress up."_

_"Thank you."_

_Ari and Ziva entered the small room, and stared wide-eyed at the crumpled body._

_"Hey, Johnny! I've got my pay for the month so I thought that we could..." A voice travelled down the hallway, getting louder. "MURDER! THERE'S BEEN A MURDER!" The female's haunting screams pierced their ears._

_Ziva climbed out of the window first, and managed the climb down to the street below. Ari, however, jumped, and collapsed on the cold ground. Ziva called his name, but seeing a crowd of people entering the establishment, started dragging him down into an alleyway._

Short chapter, I know, but I plan on writing longer ones when I have much more time. I hope before that I didn't give the impression the bounty hunters were hired by Eli. Do you like the flashbacks? I enjoy writing them, and I like the style, because I'm watching Lost! Review! :)


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